The Kremlin discussed Tuesday the possibility of a prisoner exchange with the United States in order to free Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich. This comes a day after it was allowed for the U.S. Ambassador to Moscow to visit the journalist at the notorious Lefortovo Prison, for the first time since the beginning of April.

Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin’s spokesperson, was asked Tuesday if Monday’s consular visit to Gershkovich – who has been behind bars in Moscow for over a year on what the U.S. Government deems false charges of espionage – and Vladimir Dunaev a Russian citizen currently in U.S. custody due to cybercrime charges – could signal a possible prisoner exchange.

Peskov stated that he did not want the discussions between Russians and Americans to be made public. They must continue and be conducted in silence.

He did not provide any additional details but said that “the lawful rights to consular contact must be guaranteed on both sides.”

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The U.S. Ambassador to Russia, Lynne M. Tracey, met Gershkovich on Monday in the Lefortovo Detention Center in Moscow.

“Evan remains in good health despite his circumstances. The U.S. Embassy in Russia tweeted that it hoped the Russian authorities would provide regular consular assistance.

According to Reuters, this was the first consular access granted to Gershkovich by U.S. embassy staff since April 17.

Gershkovich was arrested on March 29, while he was in Yekaterinburg, a city located in central Russia.

Last week, a Moscow court upheld the ruling that he be kept in custody until August 30. Gershkovich, as well as his employer, deny these allegations.

The U.S. Government declared that Gershkovich and Paul Whelan were wrongfully held. Whelan is a U.S. Marine who was convicted of spying in 2020.

David Whelan, the brother of Whelan, spoke with NewsNation Tuesday about America’s Independence Day.

He said Paul Whelan had been losing weight, and leading “a depressing lifestyle” over the last five years since being detained in Russia. David Whelan stated that on a day such as today, you can be sure that Americans enjoy their freedom. Paul Whelan has been losing weight and has led a “very depressing life” over the past five years since he was arrested in Russia in 2018.

Brittney Greiner, WNBA’s star player, was exchanged for Viktor Bout in December.

Gershkovich, an American journalist, is facing espionage allegations in Russia for the first time since Nicholas Daniloff was arrested by KGB as a Moscow correspondent of U.S. News and World Report back in September 1986. Daniloff was freed 20 days later as part of a trade with an FBI-arrested employee from the Soviet Union’s U.N. Mission.

Dunaev is currently in custody in Ohio. He was extradited to the United States from South Korea for cybercrime. Nadezhda Shmova, head of the Russian Embassy’s consular section said that Russian diplomats had access to Dunaev on Monday, for the first since his arrest in 2020.